Hudson County Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Springfield, New Jersey Investors Savings Bank

TRENTON, NJ—A West New York, Hudson County, New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to robbing an Investors Savings Bank in Springfield, N.J. on March 2, 2009, United States Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Philip A. Tatis, 44, a Colombian citizen, pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with robbing the bank of $30,000. He entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge Peter G. Sheridan in Trenton federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Tatis walked into the bank on March 2, 2009, and approached a bank teller with a note which stated that a bank customer had been kidapped by Tatis and his partner at gunpoint and that the teller must give him $30,000 in less than two minutes. The teller complied with the note and Tatis fled the bank with the money. In reality, Tatis had no partner in the bank robbery and had not taken a hostage.

The defendant was not identified until January 25, 2010, when his roommate in West New York reported that Tatis was in their apartment with a gun and had been writing a note for the purpose of robbing another bank. Tatis was arrested that same day at his residence after a standoff with law enforcement.

Tatis faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 on the bank robbery charge to which he pleaded guilty, as well as restitution as ordered by the Court.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent In Charge Michael B. Ward; the West New York Police and Fire Departments; and the Springfield Police Department for their work leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahid N. Quraishi of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Lisa Mack, Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender